_Avatar_, directed by James Cameron

narration can be used really well. in this case i thought it was sucky and felt cheap. thats all im saying.

I really couldn't be bothered to worry about cheap narration when there was a GIANT FOUR EYED DRAGON FLYING IN 3D on the screen

http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/vod/vod23_2/woman-shrugging-shoulders.gif

if UP IN THE AIR takes Best Screenplay over this it's a crime

They are in different categories; UitA is adapted from a novel. This is "original," and would lose to the oh-so "original" Quentin Tarantino if it was nominated, which it won't be.

what was the least original thing about the tarantino script, in your opinion?

Do we ever learn how long Earth has been meddling with Pandora (it takes five years to get there, they say - have humans been there for decades?)?

Not that I recall.

Do we ever learn why they even bothered with the Avatar program, when they brought along all those hulking forest clearers and other WMD hardware just in the, oh, off chance they wanted to bulldoze the planet anyway?

They were trying diplomatic means initially for PR/token "trying not to look like dicks" reasons.

Do we ever learn how T4 became paraplegic? Does it matter?

No, but considering that it happened before the events of this story it doesn't really matter. The only reason he's a paraplegic is so that he can experience the joy of walking again when he jumps into the avatar and therefore has an excuse for running around like a coked-up 3-year-old.

The movie just glosses over most of the questions/issues it opts to raise.

Most of the questions you're asking would have been irritating unnecessary padding had the movie tried to answer them and it was already 2 hr 40 min long.

So was it a Predator ship?

NED WINS LOCK THREAD

please

Well, some of those questions matter. Like, what does T4 have to lose by rebelling? What's at stake for him? For that matter, why does he begin by helping out head Marine? It's not military jurisdiction, so ... why? Just to be nice? Ex-Marine pride? If he lost his legs, say, not fighting, or in some non-war accident, then mentally it would provide extra psychological incentive for participation, I suppose.

By "matter," of course, I mean matter in making it a better movie. It was fine as is, but "OMG, it's 160 minutes long already!" is no excuse. "Lawrence of Arabia"=227, "Godfather II"=200. "Heat"=170. Etc. Each of those is far richer, both visually and narrative-wise, than "Avatar," and none feels a second too long or padded. But of course, none of them are in 3-D, either, so I suppose there's that.

this movie sucked

oh idk "Heat" seemed pretty padded and interminable to me so YMMV i guess xpost

what does T4 have to lose by rebelling? What's at stake for him?

If he doesn't help, a world and woman he has come to love get brutalized. If he does, he can't go home again. I didn't think this was particularly ambiguous or subtle.

For that matter, why does he begin by helping out head Marine?

You missed the massive "once a Marine, always a Marine" vibes the movie was bludgeoning the audience with up until he fell in love?

If he lost his legs, say, not fighting, or in some non-war accident, then mentally it would provide extra psychological incentive for participation, I suppose.

Actually I have remembered that they do say in passing how he lost his ability to walk; it was in the massive firefight the colonel mentions when they are doing their Marine bonding bit over their war injuries (I believe it was also referenced in the opening voiceover but don't remember because it wasn't very important to the story or his motivations; obviously not being able to walk does not stop him from identifying more with the Marines than the scientists).

My point in mentioning the length was that stuffing it with the things you're asking about would have served no point. Sometimes things can be taken at face-value an no everything is particularly deep or profound. The story choices in this movie are perfectly adequate for what it is; an extraordinarily pretty story about a dude who falls in love with a planet and a girl.

this movie sucked

― max, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 4:11 PM (43 minutes ago) Bookmark

qft

this movie blew lol

this movie blew lol

― mdskltr (blueski), Wednesday, January 6, 2010 11:56 AM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

otm

this movie blue, lol!

extraordinarily pretty story

Also, no money/family/legs is not an equal counter-balance to 12-feet tall, blue, ripped and engaged to a hot blue girlfriend in a tribe that has adopted you as family. And where the only humans with half a heart tend to show up to visit all the time, anyway. The deck, as they say, was stacked. Ergo, he had no incentive *not* to rebel. That's why he's there to begin with, in part. Nothing to lose. At least, so we presume, because there's not much to know about the guy except that for some reason Mother Pandora really likes him. (Also, of course, if he didn't rebel there wouldn't be a movie.)

why the fuck

is this movie being discussed in relation to 'Best Screenplay'

has everybody lost their fucking mind

(p.s. IN THE LOOP should be a lock for that particular award)

why the fuck

is this movie being discussed in relation to 'Best Screenplay'

because imagine the lols/wails if it wins

since when has the Oscars been a deliberate trolling exercise

.... since always???

this would take the cookie jar

why the fuck

is this movie being discussed in relation to 'Best Screenplay'

― Electric Universe (wherever that is) (acoleuthic), Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Because "best screenplay" /= "best dialogue" or even "best story"

As CRAFT, this screenplay is airtight and worthy of consideration.

efficiency is not a criterion of value. and anyway, this film is way too long to be called that. as for airtight -- no more or less than any other hollywood film released last year. 'best screenplay' *does* imply that the story is good or original (which this certainly isn't) and usually good dialogue.

i don't think it is that airtight really, but ymmv.

speaking of airtight -- how will the humans who stay on pandora survive long-term?

I guess the screenplay is pretty good by sci-fi action movie standards, but that doesn't actually make it good

it's less good than 'star trek' or 'district 9'; about level with '2012'.

"Star Trek" was way better than this, yes. I still have not managed to see "District 9" despite it being another movie I am guaranteed to love.

yeah i mean i'm on board w/avatar but screenplay come the fuck on?

it's not in the same league as district 9.

efficiency is not a criterion of value. and anyway, this film is way too long to be called that. as for airtight -- no more or less than any other hollywood film released last year.

false on both counts but I'm not gonna bother. unlike other technical categories, everyone's got an opinion about screenplay and it often does win on the basis of perceived middlebrow artiness cred but you know what: LOST IN TRANSLATION sucked.

am not really gonna dispute that. but if avatar wins best screenplay then every screenwriter in hollywood needs to slash their wrists

shittier movies have won oscars for best screenplay/picture

not every film with a cracking screenplay is middlebrow and arty fwiw

(the god-internet decides to get into it and kill the humans? why, that is watertight.)

am not really gonna dispute that. but if avatar wins best screenplay then every screenwriter in hollywood needs to slash their wrists

if AVATAR wins best screenplay a lot of aspiring screenwriters might gnash their teeth but most working screenwriters would be delighted to see that over tired pseudorelevant "sophisticated" fare like UP IN THE AIR.

not every film with a cracking screenplay is middlebrow and arty fwiw

True dat. But most of the ones that win Best Original Screenplay are.

2008 - MILK
2007 - JUNO
2006 - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
2005 - CRASH
2004 - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
2003 - LOST IN TRANSLATION
2002 - TALK TO HER
2001 - GOSFORD PARK
2000 - ALMOST FAMOUS

after crash, everything is denouement

Best Original Screenplay aka Things White People Like

(okay ETERNAL SUNSHINE is grebt but come on)

protip: Pixar always gets nominated, never wins

comparing Avatar to one shitty movie does not make it a worthy winner. there's a helluva lot of other stuff out there that didn't have me cringing approximately once every two minutes

urgh that is a kinda revolting list, but most of those are NOT very arty, and eternal sunshine was surely NOT that middlebrow? it was an art-movie that kinda transcended its origins? maybe?

who cares about the stupid oscars

(gosford park was pretty good altho when you work out whodunnit it stops being particularly exciting, although it's not about suspense it's about CLASS obv)

dude i have no idea what your definition of "arty" is, but that list is like 1000% fitting my description (ok maybe not almost famous)

who cares about the stupid oscars

― latebloomer, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 12:15 PM (48 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

otm. problem no. 1 with the oscars is that people pay attention to them and put credence in them. they should be more like emmys or grammys where no one gives a shit and they are meaningless.

LJ I agree on ETERNAL SUNSHINE. I remember reading a draft of CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND back in 1998 and thinking "this is the best thing I have ever read and it will never get made" so yes I am a big Charlie Kaufman stan but seriously a moving piece of meticulous craft like RATATOUILLE kicks all kinds of JUNO's oh look at my kicky dialogue ass. And I like kicky dialogue!

i am 100% sure ratatouille does this! but there's a difference between well-crafted, well-paced screenplays such as that and clanky platitude-filled cringefests such as the script of avatar. and there's a difference between irritating hyperactive knowing dialogue and, say, bringing up baby

or network! now THERE'S a motherfucking SCREENPLAY.

anybody starts talking smack about bringing up baby and i will CUT YOU

nearly all of those screenplay winners listed are way better than Avatar.

I had forgotten that Titanic wasn't even nominated for Best Screenplay. Guess I was thinking of Return of the King (which won adap).